In version 2023.1, the JetBrains official product team redesigned the appearance of PyCharm, with the goal of reducing visual complexity, allowing users to easily access basic functions, and present complex functions step by step as needed – creating a clean, modern and professional appearance and texture.
In this article, we will further systematically introduce the benefits of PyCharm's new UI for developers. Interested partners are welcome to download and experience it now~
PyCharm v2023.1 official version download
Start by enabling the new UI, the easiest way is to use the Settings cog in the upper right corner of the UI:
PyCharm will restart and you're done!
More whitespace has been added around different elements in this interface update, which helps to separate content without adding elements such as dividers on the screen. If you prefer smaller UI elements, you can select Compact in the Meet the New UI tool window (or search for "new ui" later in Settings) and this setting will be removed Some whitespace and padding around interface elements.
There are several prominent themes here, including the use of color and element size to represent information hierarchy.
For example, in the Dark theme, there is a dark gray bar at the top, common entry points for features like VCS actions and the "run" action, and a black background for the editor.
Let's take a look at some valuable points in the new UI.
NO.1 main toolbar
With a cleaner main toolbar and a simpler layout, and all the features you know and love, it's your one-stop shop for information about your projects:
From left to right, the first area is the Project widget, where you can see the name of the current project, switch between recent projects, create new projects, and open existing projects.
To the right of the Project widget is the VCS widget, which allows you to quickly see the status of your project in version control, including branches and whether there are outgoing (shown in green) or incoming (shown in blue) changes :
The VCS widget is right next to the project name, click the drop-down arrow and it becomes a clear entry point for functionality related to projects and version control.
On the right is the redesigned Run widget, detailed in the next section.
Finally, there are more general icons on the far right of the main toolbar, including Code With Me , Search Everywhere, and Settings. If you prefer to use a mouse, the Settings cog icon takes you to some common top-level options, including plugins, themes, keymaps, and view modes, plus you can switch back to the classic UI here.
NO.2 Run (run) widget
Let's take a closer look at the Run toolbar widget, first the icons here are larger and thicker to provide instant visual feedback on the status of the application, for example before running or debugging the application, the Run widget As follows:
After clicking the Run icon, it becomes:
You will now see the application running, you can stop it and re-run it or stop it completely, or you can click the debug icon, which will prompt to stop the currently running application, allowing you to run it with PyCharm's debugger .
If you run the application with PyCharm's debugger, the widget will change to:
You can still access all run configurations from the drop-down menu, and for each configuration, you can choose how to run:
The functions of the currently selected run configuration are also accessible from the three vertical dot buttons.
NO.3 Tool window
The new UI brings new icons, an improved layout, and the option to view more tool windows at any time. The new icons are larger, so there is less content on the screen, helping to reduce the cognitive load while browsing.
Here's how to customize their placement in the UI to make them easier to find:
You can choose to split the tool window vertically, for example in the screenshot below, the Commit tool window is below the horizontal divider. Tool windows can be dragged below the divider to open them in a vertical split:
You can also split tool windows on the right like this:
Finally, if you want to split the tool windows at the bottom so that one part is on the left and the other part is on the right, then drag the tool window you want to appear on the right to the right bar. In the screenshot below, dragging the Problem tool window icon to the right opens it next to the Terminal tool window:
All tool windows now use more modern outlined monochrome icons that don't clutter the interface with extra information. If you want to see the name and keyboard shortcut of a tool window, just hover over the icon. Also, the shortcut key to hide all toolbars is ⌘⇧F12 (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+F12 (Windows/Linux).
NO.4 Run (run) and Debug (debug) tool window
Both the Run and Debug tool windows are now accessible from the window tabs on the left, which is a standardized design for quick access to both tool windows to manage the state of the application.
Additionally, the updated Debug tool window includes a toolbar containing the most common actions based on usage statistics. This may mean that some of the actions you click often are not where you are used to, for example you may find that the Evaluate Expression icon is missing.
There are many more ways to evaluate expressions, you can:
- Use ⌥F8 (macOS) or Ctrl+F8 (Windows/Linux)
- Use Shift Shift (macOS/Windows/Linux) to bring up Search Everywhere and type "evaluate expression"
- Select Evaluate Expression from the right-click context menu of the Debug tool window
The Debug tool window also has a dedicated field for evaluation:
In addition to these changes, there are new tabs for switching between Threads & Variables (threads and variables) and Console (console) views if there is only one run configuration.
NO.5 editor
Finally the editor got some updates based on our design, these consistent themes will give the whole interface a fresh, clean and professional feel when browsing the codebase in the new UI.
Light and Dark themes feature improved contrast and a consistent color palette to brighten (or darken) your screen:
In the editor, the icons have also been completely overhauled, making them more recognizable in shape and color. You'll see these changes in the editor and the IDE more broadly, and it's a fantastic sea change for PyCharm :
Breakpoints are now on line numbers, saving horizontal space:
Also if you prefer to have breakpoints next to line numbers, you can still right-click in the binding area and select Appearance > Breakpoints Over Line Numbers (Appearance > Breakpoints Over Line Numbers).
The color palette for Git Blame (Git retroactive) annotations has been updated, with lighter shades indicating earlier changes. Conversely, the darker the shade, the more recent the changes:
